Science in the City

After getting a significant chunk of work done starting the seagrass barcoding effort, late-breaking developments have changed the course of our work to come.  The CBOL, an international body organizing the efforts of individual institutions, published results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggesting the use of a two-loci standard genetic barcode for plants.  The genes they suggest using are the rbcL and matK genes.  This recommendation bears out findings made during our own investigation, but means that we are temporarily on hold pending discussion of this directive among the scientific community.  These are not two genes we worked with (although they were on our list to eventually get to.)  Because the materials consumed can be quite expensive, we will neither proceed with sequencing genes we had planned to check (ACCD, CCS1) nor will we order the primers to check the others until they are finalized.  The indicated time-frame for deliberations is September to October.

Fortunately, the majority of the work completed is the same in any eventuality.  The collected and extracted DNA now in storage at JCU will simply be put through a new PCR reaction, and then sequenced for base order.  Theoretically, this work could be completed in two or three days following final approval of the international standards.  Furthermore, it potentially means that the posting of the results of this work is closer at hand, since at that point they will represent internationally recognized standards, as opposed to the individual effort they have been so far.